3rd Annual Battle of the Books

Get ready for the Battle of the Books!

It’s time to get your competitive reading spirit ready!!(wait, is competitive reading even a thing?) The UWL School of Education, Murphy Library, and the La Crosse Public Library will be hosting the 3rd Annual, campus-wide, Battle of the Books.

For those unfamiliar with “battle of the books” contests, teams of reading aficionados read a selection of books during a couple of weeks and then come together to test their knowledge of the books in a trivia battle royale. At the end, the winners stand victorious with prizes in tow, while their fallen foes (at Murphy Library, anyway) get to enjoy sugary confections to nurse their wounded pride. Check out the pictures from previous years to see the carnage (we really mean fun)!

That’s the gist of it.

Things degrade quickly during trivia…

All members of the UW-L campus community are invited to create a team with 3-4 friends to compete. Teams can sign up by using this form or by contacting Marc Manke, Murphy Library,mmanke@uwlax.edu by April 14, 2017. Teams will be required to read the list of 10 books (see the full list below!!) by Thursday, April 20, 2017. The books for this year’s contest can be seen below!

Each team can choose to have members read every book or — what we recommend — divide the books among the teammates. Many of these books are in Murphy Library and the La Crosse Public Library. We will be happy to work with you to find copies of these books.

Teams will answer questions based on the books read. The team with the most points will be crowned victorious and will receive the grandest of prizes (probably better snacks), while the remaining teams may be allowed to enjoy some snacks, depending on the goodwill of the winning team. Teams will be awarded prizes based on their performance.

The culminating trivia battle will be held on Thursday, April 20, 2017 – 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Room 121, Murphy Library.

Book List

(Click each book image to find books available in the area)

Terrible typhoid Mary : a true story of the deadliest cook in America by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

What happens when a person’s reputation has been forever damaged? With archival photographs and text among other primary sources, this riveting biography of Mary Mallon by the Sibert medalist and Newbery Honor winner Susan Bartoletti looks beyond the tabloid scandal of Mary’s controversial life. How she was treated by medical and legal officials reveals a lesser-known story of human and constitutional rights, entangled with the science of pathology and enduring questions about who Mary Mallon really was. How did her name become synonymous with deadly disease? And who is really responsible for the lasting legacy of Typhoid Mary?

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

An eighth-grader who dreams of performing in a Broadway musical concocts a plan to run away to New York and audition for the role of Elliot in the musical version of “E.T.”

If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth

If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth

Seventh-grader Lewis “Shoe” Blake from the Tuscarora Reservation has a new friend, George Haddonfield from the local Air Force base, but in 1975 upstate New York there is a lot of tension and hatred between Native Americans and Whites–and Lewis is not sure that he can rely on friendship.

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

In post-World War I England, eleven-year-old Triss nearly drowns in a millpond known as “The Grimmer” and emerges with memory gaps, aware that something’s terribly wrong, and to try to set things right, she must meet a twisted architect who has designs on her family.

House Arrest by K.A. Holt

House Arrest by K.A. Holt

Young Timothy is sentenced to house arrest after impulsively stealing a wallet, and he is forced to keep a journal into which he pours all his thoughts, fears, and frustrations.

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

Assisting her grandmother’s investigation of her grandfather’s fate during the Vietnam War, Mai struggles to adapt to an unfamiliar culture while redefining her sense of family.

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

Soon after his mother’s death, Matt takes a job at a funeral home in his tough Brooklyn neighborhood and, while attending and assisting with funerals, begins to accept her death and his responsibilities as a man.

Saving Kabul Corner by N.H. Senzai

Saving Kabul Corner by N.H. Senzai

Twelve-year-old Ariana, a tomboy, and her ladylike cousin Laila, recently arrived from Afghanistan, do not get along but they pull together when a rival Afghani grocery store opens, rekindling an old family feud and threatening their family’s livelihood.

Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson

Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson

Friendship to the max! At Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s camp for hardcore lady-types, things are not what they seem. Three-eyed foxes. Secret caves. Anagrams. Luckily, Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five rad, butt-kicking best pals determined to have an awesome summer together– and they’re not gonna let a magical quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way!

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh

Presents the life of the Mexican artist, who became famous for his drawings of skeletons in multiple everyday poses which have become identified with the Mexican Day of the Dead.